Will a GPS PND bought from abroad work in India?

[Zappo]

But tell me something Netfreak, MapMyIndia maps are pretty much available for Garmin as well. So why is it that you can not use Garmin for smaller cities? I mean, I am not sure I see your point here.

Both MapMyIndia and Satguide make all India maps with 404+ cities and all NH and SH for the Garmin format (IMG) devices. So essentially, Win CE is not really required to run these maps. As Tanveer said, Destinator and any other software program only helps you with the running of the map. In case of Garmin you do not need all that. In fact life becomes very simple as you just need to load the map in IMG format as a supplementary one (and of course a small license file).

Only reason I can think of for a Win CE device is again what Tanveer said. You also like your device to double up as a PDA cum Entertainment box.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by Zappo

But tell me something Netfreak, MapMyIndia maps are pretty much available for Garmin as well. So why is it that you can not use Garmin for smaller cities? I mean, I am not sure I see your point here.

Both MapMyIndia and Satguide make all India maps with 404+ cities and all NH and SH for the Garmin format (IMG) devices.

Satguide does NOT sell maps for 401+ cities. It sells navteq maps that have around 200 cities.

Mapmyindia has started selling maps for Garmin but its price is ridiculous (7k). It is actually cheaper to buy Mapmyindia's license for cell and run it on your PND.

And that still leaves out other providers like Europa and Digiglobe.With WinCE, you can run mgmaps and use tiles from these providers.

Neither Europa not Digiglobe sell maps in Garmin format.

[anekho]

I have a garmin nuvi 255W with all the European maps (bought in sweden). If I get the garmin maps for india on an SD card, will it delete the european maps? I mean, when i'm in india can I use the device by just putting the SD card in, and when I'm in sweden can I use it like normal (without sd card)?

Someone please answer!

[Zappo]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Satguide does NOT sell maps for 401+ cities. It sells navteq maps that have around 200 cities.

You will be happy to know that it does... or rather it is on the verge of doing so in another 4-5 days. I was there at their office on a sunday and they said that the guys are there because the final testing is on. They also have some major improvements done on the existing maps (like nearest POIs to your location having addresses etc).

He also said that anyone who buys the map now (202 cities) will automatically get the free upgrade to the 404+ cities as soon as it is out in the public domain.

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Mapmyindia has started selling maps for Garmin but its price is ridiculous (7k). It is actually cheaper to buy Mapmyindia's license for cell and run it on your PND.

And that still leaves out other providers like Europa and Digiglobe.With WinCE, you can run mgmaps and use tiles from these providers.

Neither Europa not Digiglobe sell maps in Garmin format.

MapMyIndia is simply crazy! They are trying to encash on the popularity of the Garmin devices. Since so many people have time and again written to them enquiring about Garmin compatible maps they probably thought this is a good chance to make money by selling the maps at such crazy prices.

I wonder though if they are selling any. However I would suggest you try out the Satguide maps. Till now I find them extremely useful. They have improved to the extent that on many roads they also take care of the one-way streets. I will be able to give a detailed feedback as I am taking this device with Satguide maps on a long tour pretty soon. Will know how well it works once outside of AP.

And if everything else fails to satisfy you, then there are very specific freewares available that let you convert a Google Map into Garmin specific format and load these. Or even make your own maps.

So the possibilities are immense. Dig around and you will find many.

Originally Posted by anekho

I have a garmin nuvi 255W with all the European maps (bought in sweden). If I get the garmin maps for india on an SD card, will it delete the european maps? I mean, when i'm in india can I use the device by just putting the SD card in, and when I'm in sweden can I use it like normal (without sd card)?

Someone please answer!

You definitely can. You get maps on SD Card which is used as a Supplemantary map. Garmin supports this. You can go in tools and choose the maps that need to be used by clicking the checkbox against the one that you want to use (when multiple ones are loaded). This makes the selection faster.

So ones you are back in Sweden you simply take out the SD card or else deselect the India map and it will work on the main map. By the way, it is possible to have both the maps loaded in your Garmin and still it will work fine; though in India the vendors will only sell you the maps in the SD Card because of the ease of activation.

[anekho]

Originally Posted by Zappo

You definitely can. You get maps on SD Card which is used as a Supplemantary map. Garmin supports this. You can go in tools and choose the maps that need to be used by clicking the checkbox against the one that you want to use (when multiple ones are loaded). This makes the selection faster.

So ones you are back in Sweden you simply take out the SD card or else deselect the India map and it will work on the main map. By the way, it is possible to have both the maps loaded in your Garmin and still it will work fine; though in India the vendors will only sell you the maps in the SD Card because of the ease of activation.

Thank you! Just the confirmation I needed - will get the maps asap. Glad I got a Garmin, I found out about this just know!

I am assuming TomTom don't support this?

[Zappo]

Originally Posted by anekho

Thank you! Just the confirmation I needed - will get the maps asap. Glad I got a Garmin, I found out about this just know!

I am assuming TomTom don't support this?

Yes, Garmin is by far the easiest as long as you have the right format maps. Unlike other WinCE systems you do not need to load a plethora of software. You just need the map in the correct format. Thanks to their popularity the map options you get in plenty.

TomTom has a problem here. They have a proprietory map format just like so many others but you do not find India maps for them so easily. I mean off the shelf good options (with MMI, Satguide etc) are simply not there in the case of TomTom. Also, for some unknown reason (unknown to me) TomTom seems to have seized a lot of territory to Garmin in major markets like US. People there somehow are not so comfy with TomTom anymore and this shows in the Garmin's ever-increasing market share there. Just the other day I read a press statement where Garmin apparently claimed that they now have over 58% US market share which is the largest by far.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by Zappo

You will be happy to know that it does... or rather it is on the verge of doing so in another 4-5 days. I was there at their office on a sunday and they said that the guys are there because the final testing is on.

That would be good.

However maps that they released last week have pretty much the same coverage so I am skeptical about their claims. Build 3066 has around 200 cities. It was released last week.

So coming back to discussion of Win CE or not, since no provider cores ALL of India, its good to have device that can run multiple apps and hence can handle multiple map providers.

[bigman]

Has anyone actually tested Garmin maps? I had a play about with what I was told were the India 2009 V2 maps in Garmin XT. The search options are not as half as good as MapMyIndia(MMI).

MMI is very detailed when it comes to coverage. I can find small villages with ease. Garmin is the exact opposite, yes it has cities but thats about it.

[NetfreakBombay]

Have used Garmin in Pune, Bangalore. Best thing about Garmin is, you do not need to know complete address to search.

For example, I do not know about localities / pin codes of Pune/Bangalore. To navigate, all I do is type name of Building/Society and Garmin would show all matching POI.

It is not possible with MMI.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by Zappo

Well, so you are talking technology, eh!

Love the tone - Oh, can I not? lol

Then let me tell you something my friend. What you are talking about ("these items' technology is at a point where it frankly doesn't matter") is a very popular misconception about these devices. I have seen enough devices which sport similar chipset and announce a big number of parallel channels as another popular brand, and yet when it comes to the ground realities they lag behind.

Have you done a survey? Have you got the factual data or even BHPian links on the data? Possibly you're correct - possibly you're not - but its totally vague and is basically directed with malice towards all things "chinese" (as alluded in the original post)

Some have a flickery screen while others look dull under the sunlight. Then some are extremely jerky. Some have a joke of a speaker that croak when they make sound. Then there are devices which for some reason seem to freeze while searching and are otherwise very slow. One of my ex-colleague got a generic one (Vara/Zara/Kara... don't exactly remember the name), pretty cheap from Malaysia. His device's casing got so brittle under the direct sunlight (open office parking) that it cracked in a spider web form after just 5-6 months.

Interesting. ONE data point. May be useful. How about comparing it with the original post on TomToms? Note that you have replied to NFB's post (chatter as you defined in a separate PM to me), NOT the original poster. So you are indulging in "chatter" as much as me. ahem!

By the way, your "we are talking technology here" sounded very grandiose and I almost sheepishly looked over my shoulders once only to realize that in this whole thread you posted once at the begining about the Satguide maps being available for 2100 bucks. Does not sound to me like "you" were talking any technology at least.

Again, I'd ask you to re-read my original post. It was in reply to a specific question:
JVH: Garmin Nuvi is now available in India
Post from Nishant:
Garmin in India sells the maps alone for Rs 7,000.

I wasn't talking technology, because the question was about map availability. I helped the specific poster with his specific doubt (like you did above) - private chatter maybe (as you label it). But I don't quite see the point of the mini speech quoted above.

Overall, I'm amazed at how you're getting so much worked up over a simple sentence said in a conversational matter of fact way!

Why so serious?
/ok I'm done with this thread

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by bigman

Has anyone actually tested Garmin maps? ...
MMI is very detailed when it comes to coverage. ... Garmin is the exact opposite, yes it has cities but thats about it.

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Have used Garmin in Pune, Bangalore. Best thing about Garmin is, you do not need to know complete address to search.
...

Pretty divergent experiences!

I have tested both Garmin (on WiMo, as well as Nuvi) and MMI (on WiMo) - and I have had mixed experiences with BOTH. I like the Nuvi device much more than running it on a mobile phone - nothing to compare the luxury of a 4.5" screen, and a device that works without doing nakhras.

But maps are a different story, and that is neither Garmin's nor MMI's fault. The maps supplied to them by their vendors are still years away from being complete even for urban areas, forget rural. Address search needs real address data, but both the map sources are REALLY THIN on actual data. PoIs have been picked up from other databases (think yellow pages data) and somehow correlated to a general area - that is why their position in the map is rather approximate. An authorative address database is what is required, and that is years away.

To give an example, my house is on "11th Main". Now think of the Bangalore address system of Mains and Crosses. The paper maps - Eicher et al - contain valid markings: parallel roads marked 8th Main, 9th Main, so on and so forth. The map data (BOTH Garmin and MMI) has 8th Main, and only parallel roads without markings after that. So how is one to do an address search? PoI-based search (NOT the same as Address search) uses a different 'database' and gives you the nearest location, like 'Pizza Hut Banashankari 3rd Stage', not the house of your long-lost friend who sent you his address.

Even the PoI database is either incomplete or incompletely linked to the map. Try searching for "Brigade Millenium", you won't find it by searching. Scroll to Bangalore South area - it appears on the map (both Garmin and MMI). If you now save to favorites, it will automatically store the string it picks up from the map. Coupled with the spelling boo-boos the data entry guys have made, this behaviour is far from confidence-inspiring, and is very irritating.

[chaudhrysan]

Hi:

I am using both Garmin and MMI on my mio320. As far as I can see, the Garmin seems to be doing a better job at navigation .vs. MMI (at least on roads where I have compared the both, in Delhi). The MMI somehow wants to route a longer "route" and if you ignore the routing, it re-routes and tries to get you back to its previously charted route rather than a new, better re-routed way!! IMO garmin does a better job here.

But for map details, the MMI is better.

[bigman]

chaudhrysan,

I guess the best option would then be to use Garmin to get you to the nearest major town/city and then use MMI to get to a village.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by chaudhrysan

... The MMI somehow wants to route a longer "route" and if you ignore the routing, it re-routes and tries to get you back to its previously charted route rather than a new, better re-routed way ...

Both exhibit the same behaviour - somehow trying to get you back to it's originally planned route. It finally gives up when the alternate is a better option *at that point of time*. The routing logic is selectable between "fastest route" and "shortest route" - the difference being the road level it will use for routing (small or big roads, road level = speed rating).

Had a funny experience over the weekend with Garmin. We had gone to the house-warming of a relative, who had built his house in a place where his area was not completely mapped out (less than an year old). First time when I went there (I had approx directions given by him), I stored his location in favorites. Next day, it took me by a slightly different route - and I ended up in the road *behind* his house (even this road was not on the map!), and then it wanted me to take a left through the house behind his house!!!

[Tushargohil]

AERIAL SERVICES PVT. LTD. - Home Bangalore Dealer..

Hello Zappo

I got myself a Garmin Nuvi wide screen device. It costed me approx 6700 INR. .

Which model we are talking here... which has wide screen...? so that i can check with local dealer (AERIAL SERVICES PVT. LTD. - Garmin Products - Automobile)

Thanks,
Tushar